Sun Xiuwen, born in Shanghai in 1989, is currently a Grade 3 musician at the Shanghai Yue Opera House. She joined the First Troupe of the Opera House in 2008 as an erhu/zhonghu performer, and has been deeply engaged in the field of Yue opera national orchestral music performance for 17 years. She holds a technical secondary school degree in music from the Affiliated Opera School of Shanghai Theatre Academy and a bachelor's degree in Musicology (Music Education) from the Central Conservatory of Music. She studied under Sun Heping, a renowned erhu performer, and received careful guidance from other masters such as Huo Yonggang, with solid professional skills and rich experience in stage performances, mainstream media program recordings, and international art exchange performances.

She is proficient in a variety of national bowed string instruments such as erhu, zhonghu, gaohu, and banhu, and also self-studies guzheng, huqin performance, and music production, achieving versatility in one specialty. Since the start of her career, her annual performance attendance rate has been over 90%, and she has participated in dozens of classic and newly created Yue operas including Dream of the Red Chamber, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, and The New Mrs. Lin. In addition, she has performed as a soloist at major domestic and international art exhibitions many times, appearing on important stages at home and abroad such as the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the National Centre for the Performing Arts, the Bangkok International Dance and Music Arts Festival, and the Hong Kong Arts Festival.

She has been invited to participate in the recording of major arts and culture programs on multiple platforms, performing China in the Lantern Lights at the CCTV Global Spring Festival Cultural Gala, The South of Colorful Clouds at the Beijing TV Spring Festival Carnival, and Galloping War Horses at the Hainan TV Spring Festival Gala. Her artistic footprint spans across China and abroad, demonstrating diverse artistic expression capabilities and cross-cultural stage performance.

In March 2026, she was invited to join the Asian Art Association Singapore (Chinese Traditional Instruments) and became a Lifetime member.

In my artistic cognition and practical exploration, I have always firmly believed that national instrumental music is an important carrier of Chinese traditional culture. The core of Yue opera instrumental performance is to extend national bowed string music to the expression of dramatic emotions and culture, to set off emotions with music, integrate music into the opera, and precisely fit the regional style charm and character core of the opera. At the same time, the inheritance and development of traditional culture are inseparable from international vision and expression. On the basis of deeply cultivating traditional performance techniques and maintaining the authentic texture of national musical instruments, it is even more necessary to take the initiative to break cultural boundaries, explore the integration and dialogue between national musical instruments and international artistic aesthetics and expression forms, and let Chinese national musical instruments such as the erhu go abroad and into the world. I have always pursued "upholding integrity while innovating, and integrating Chinese and Western elements". Through my deep cultivation on the Yue opera stage, performances on mainstream media stages, and experiences in international arenas, I have let the unique charm of Chinese Yue opera music and national bowed string music be seen, understood, and loved by more international audiences. I also always adhere to the concept of passing on the torch, hoping to promote the international dissemination of Chinese national instrumental music and Yue opera art and the cultivation of new-generation talents through my own professional practice and international exchange experience, so that traditional art can radiate new vitality in cross-cultural exchanges.

Sun Xiuwen has won the first prize in national instrumental solo performance at the International Arts Competition for Talents in Russia and the Santa Cecilia International Music Competition in Italy, and has claimed gold medals in erhu at domestic and international competitions such as the International Huale Cup Asian Finals and the Jiangsu Dunhuang National Music Competition. She participated in the creation of operas such as Da Yan Fist, which won collective awards including the Outstanding Script Award at the 9th National Excellent One-Act Plays and Skits Exhibition and the Outstanding Work Award at the Shanghai Stage Art Works Selection, earning dual recognition from the industry at home and abroad for her professional strength.

In terms of academic research and social positions, she published a professional paper titled "The Integration of Yue Opera Music and Local Cultural Characteristics—Taking the Shanghai Yue Opera House as an Example" in the journal Music Appreciation, realizing the two-way improvement of performance practice and academic research. She is currently a member of the National Bowed String Music Society of the Chinese Musicians' Association, the Huqin Professional Committee of the Chinese National Orchestral Music Society, and the Shanghai Musicians' Association. She also serves as the Deputy Secretary-General of the Art Training Working Committee of the China Children's Culture and Art Promotion Association, and plays an active role in the exchange of national music industry and art inheritance work.